Research Note: Psychological Profiling of Australian Police Officers: A Three-Year Examination of Post-Selection Performance

The current study expands upon the authors' previous work. The performance of two groups of Tasmania Police constables was evaluated after their first three years of employment. Group membership was a function of initial selection process — one group undertook detailed psychological profiling as part of their pre-employment testing, and the other group did not. The screened group consistently outperformed the non-screened group, with three of the differences statistically significant. Additionally, the screened group had a lower dropout rate, and were less likely to make serious on-the-job errors resulting in formal disciplinary action or investigation. Implications for applied practice, and further research and development are also discussed.